Rau — Longevity in Saturniid Moths. 35 



of their eggs deposited. During 1911-12-13, the details 

 of oviposition were recorded for 409 insects of the 24 

 lots as enumerated in table 20. 9 



Inspection of these figures shows that the mean per- 

 centage of oviposition in Polyphemus varies from 81.9 

 to 89.6%. There is only a slight difference in the mean 

 per cents in the two lots from St. Louis, while a far more 

 pronounced difference is at once apparent between the 

 Fall River, Mass., and the Augusta, Ga., lots. Perceiv- 

 ing that the mean per cent for all polyphemus combined 

 is 86.5, and that 95 females of the 137 deposited from 91 

 to 100% of their eggs, we must conclude that as a whole 

 Polyphemus, even unfertilized, oviposit almost perfectly. 



In the Cynthias we have two lots, one from New York 

 and one from Philadelphia, but here we have notes based 

 on the mated and unmated condition, and the effects of 

 this factor are at once apparent. In the New York 1913 

 lot the mated ones give a mean per cent of oviposition 

 of 76.9, while the unmated females give only 22.4%. To 

 be sure the unmated females of the 1912 lot give a mean 

 per cent of oviposition of 61.6, but these were the vig- 

 orous individuals already referred to which survived 

 out of 300 cocoons. The Philadelphia material showed 

 practically the same relation as the first; the mated in- 

 sects deposited 57.5% of their eggs and the unmated ones 

 only 22.5%. 



The data for 8. cecropia are self-explanatory, but we 

 may call attention to the fact that here again the per- 

 cents for the unmated insects were somewhat lower, 

 while the Cecropias all taken together did not show such 

 a well-perfected ability completely to oviposit as did the 



9 For instance, on the first line we read: Telea polyphemus, from 

 New York, emerged 1912, and all remained unmated; 1 insect deposited 

 from 61 to 70% of the total number of eggs she carried, 5 of them 81 

 to 90%, and 5 of them 91 to 100%; total, 11 insects. The mean per cent 

 deposited by the whole population of 11 females was 87.7%, while the 

 maximum actual number of eggs deposited by any individual of the lot 

 was 327 and the minimum 89. 



